It's the first time for any Metro Manila Film Festival entry past and present to hold a fan conference of such magnitude but, hey, it's "Mallari" we're talking about here so that shouldn't come as a surprise.
Earlier, there were whispers that Mentorque Productions' maiden outfit starring Piolo Pascual is the most expensive MMFF entry this year; some say, in the vicinity of P80 million at least. By the looks of their marketing executions, including the fan conference held no less at The Music Hall of SM Mall of Asia last Dec. 1, it's totally believable. The event that was ready to cater to an audience of 2000, featured show, games, interactive booths, giveaways and---get this---a Mallari Gallery.
But of course, the "Mallari" main cast came in full force. Aside from Piolo, the fan conference saw Janella Salvador, JC Santos, Gloria Diaz and Ron Angeles up and about, regaling fans with their presence and active participation.
At a press conference held the same day, Mentorque Productions president John Bryan Diamante admitted that he cried the first time he watched "Mallari" in full. He is confident the movie is one of a kind, bound to make history.
He admitted that Warner Bros. validation of its merit by way of distributing the movie assured Bryan that "Mallari' is of highest quality. After all, it's the first Filipino mainstream film the Hollywood company is distributing, maybe not just here, but in other parts of the world.
In the movie, Fr. Juan Severino Mallari is the first Filipino priest executed by the Spanish colonial government. While Mentorque wanted initially for the movie to be wholly true-to-life, the scarcity of materials about Mallari kept that from happening. Don't scoff, though, as "Mallari" took years to research and prepare before it was brought to life as indeed, the devil is in the details as far as this movie goes. The development of its concept started in 2018 and only had its green light by Mentorque in 2022.
Mallari killed 57 people before getting caught (antedating Jack The Ripper by more than 60 years) so you can just imagine how thrilling and chilling "Mallari" is.
Directed by Derick Cabrido, "Mallari" was shot in various historic locations in the Philippines, including a village built for the project to recreate an authentic setting. Also, it boasts of three timelines that combine the audiences' love for retro horror with the immediate reliability of current terrors.
"Mallari" opens in cinemas on Dec. 25.
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